


So Baby Pull Me Closer

by mysongsknowhatyoudidinthedark



Series: Meeting Your Boyfriend's Family [1]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends With Benefits, From Sex to Love, Happy Ending, Homophobic Language, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, this trope makes me weak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-08-14 07:42:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8004145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysongsknowhatyoudidinthedark/pseuds/mysongsknowhatyoudidinthedark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dex doesn’t know when it starts. He supposes right after a kegster, when they’re both far too drunk to have any inhibitions. And when you take equally drunk teenage boys, it’s almost guaranteed that they’re going to think about sex at one point or another, and thinking when drunk often leads to doing, so that’s how Dex ends up waking up in Nursey's dorm to skin touching skin, all sticky and covered in sweat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dex doesn’t know when it starts. He supposes right after a kegster at the end of their freshman year, when they’re both far too drunk to have any inhibitions. And when you take equally drunk teenage boys, it’s almost guaranteed that they’re going to think about sex at one point or another, and thinking when drunk often leads to doing, so that’s how Dex ends up waking up in Nursey's dorm to skin touching skin, all sticky and covered in sweat.

 

It’s not ideal to be hungover when you’re panicking over the fact that you just slept with a boy--more specifically your friend, your fellow teammate, but Dex decides he’s going to panic about one thing at a time.

 

Nursey wakes up shortly after Dex, yawning and stretching as he starts to put on clothes.

 

And right before he leaves--

 

“We should do this again sometimes. You know. When we’re both sober enough to remember.”

 

Dex simply nods out of fear because of course when someone is propositioning him, someone with sex hair that could be mistaken for bed head and a sleepy, raspy voice, and when a certain part of his anatomy tells him he’s very excited by this prospect, he should stop denying and bargaining and start accepting.

 

But Dex never liked to follow rules anyway.

 

The next day, it’s after practice and after homework and after everything else. They’re lounging around in Nursey’s dorm, primarily because Nursey’s roommate was never home anyway, but also because Dex couldn’t bringing someone--especially not a boy--back to his place where his roommate could see them.

 

Tapping fingers echo in Dex’s eardrum; Nursey’s restless, and he tends to tap at moments like these. Dex doesn’t mind. At least, he wouldn’t if Nursey didn’t stand up, announcing his never-ending boredom.

 

“There’s nothing to do,” he states.

 

Dex doesn’t say a word, simply texts Bitty asking if the Haus is up to anything. Which is why he’s so caught off guard when Nursey speaks again.

 

“Can I blow you?”

 

Dex sputters, trying to justify why no, he absolutely does not want a blowjob, but hearing those words just makes his pants tighten, so he closes his mouth.

 

“Bro, I’m just bored. I might as well suck dick while I’m at it. Besides, it's nothing I haven't seen before.” He smirks, all very playful and friendly like it's just an inside joke between two friends and not a reference to sex acts they've committed together.

 

Dex shrugs in response, so Nursey gets on his knees like he’s about to pray, except Dex knows that what he’s about to do is not something you do at church. But he doesn't stop him because of course he wants it, and he's probably just about as bored.

 

And that’s how William Poindexter gets his first blowjob of his life. It doesn’t take very long, and Nursey chirps him about it afterward, claiming that, “You gotta hold it on longer than that, dude.” Of course, the very nature of what they just did undermines the fact that he said “dude” at the end, but Dex digresses.

 

After they’re done, Nursey plops on his bed, opening his phone. “Bitty texted us.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“He baked a pie.”

 

“Before we go,” Dex starts, “do you want me to return the favor?”

 

“Nah, you just owe me later.”

 

“Later?” Dex raises his eyebrows, trepidation dripping in his voice.

 

Nursey flushes--not quite as obvious as Dex would be, but his cheeks do seem pinker if he looks at them in the right light. “Yeah, if you want.”

 

“Oh, um…” Now it's Dex’s turn to feel embarrassed, and he turns a bright red in response. “Alright.”

 

“‘S chill.” Nursey nods, grabbing his sweatshirt before heading toward the door. “Let’s go get some pie.”

  
They don't hold hands, but they bump elbows and shoulders the whole way there, and the whole way back, and Dex tries to ignore the way his heart flutters every time Nursey touches him. It's not like Nursey feels the same way, anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Dex hates the way that Nursey is taking their whole situation in his stride. He hasn’t brought it up; he hasn’t referenced it outside of the times they’re about to fuck. Once they’re done, he’ll make comments like “I came before you did this time,” or “Now I know what to do next time,” like it’s not a Big Deal, which, Dex supposes, it isn’t. He swears, it isn’t.

But it’s agonizingly frustrating.

He wants at least a definition. He wants Nursey to go up to him and say, “Ah, yes, I enjoy this friends with benefits situation going on. I’m afraid masturbation isn’t quite enough for me, and I really appreciate what you’re doing here.” Something other than nothing at all.

The worst part is that he can’t ask anyone about it. He can’t ask the rest of his teammates because that would require him to come out to them, and he’s afraid to even come out to Bitty at this point, so that won’t work. He can’t ask any of the kids in his Comp Sci classes because he’s pretty sure none of them have ever seen any type of genitalia, let alone been in a situation where they’re having sex with a friend.

Of course, there’s his parents, but that requires him to both come out and admit that he had sex with someone while drunk, and is continuing to have sex with said person, both of which sound equally disappointing when he thinks about it.

So he avoids it. He does exactly what Nursey is doing. Because two can play that game, and if Nursey isn’t going to define their relationship, then he sure as hell won’t.

When he heads to the dining hall before classes, he’s too enraptured in his last-minute studying to notice Nursey plopping his things down on the table to sit next to him. In fact, he’s trying to pretend he doesn’t notice someone moving next to him.

“Dex, can you watch my stuff?”

Dex looks up to a very sleepy Nursey, hunched over his backpack, trying to locate his dining card. He’s dressed in sweatpants and a tank top and a jacket and Dex just. Cannot deal. Nursey almost never dresses like a burnt out college student, but when he does, he manages to pull off that style too.

“Watch your own shit.”

Nursey glares at him, like he’s ready to start a fight, but he clearly decides to swallow his pride and go get food regardless of whether or not his belongings will be there when he gets back.

When he does, he places a cup of coffee in front of Dex, who looks back up at him, incredulous.

“You were up pretty late last night studying for that test.” Nursey shrugs, as though buying Dex things was the most nonchalant thing in the world.

He takes a seat next to Dex, happily enjoying his coffee and oatmeal. He’s about halfway done with his coffee when Dex decides to slam closed his textbook and start up a conversation. Surely engaging in social activity would be of more use than cramming.

They talk for a while about this and that until the other boys slowly start to arrive, filling the room with raucous chatter.

“I’m just saying, Game of Thrones is clearly superior,” Holster argues over eggs and toast. “It’s got, like, romance, and politics, and fantasy--like, there’s shit for everyone to love.”

“Not everyone likes fantasy, bro,” Ransom interjects.

“I am wounded. You insult one of my favorite tv shows--”

“Holster, chill.” Nursey laughs, and Dex can’t help but think that that’s the kind of laugh that creates fucking fairies. It’s so goddamn cute.

“Whoah, Dex, you okay?” Ransom asks, and then promptly stuffs his face with more food, as though the response to that question was of little import to him anyway.

“Yeah, man, you look a little pale,” Nursey agrees. “Plus, you’re gonna get frown lines with the amount of times you scowl.”

Dex rolls his eyes.

“One of these days, your eyes will just keep rolling back.”

“Enough with the chirps. I got a test first thing in the morning--I’m allowed to be pissed off.”

“Fair enough.” Nursey shrugs, scooping the last bite of oatmeal in his mouth and downing the rest of his coffee before getting up. “Come on, Dexy. We got classes in the same building.”

They walk together, but it’s not quite as almost-flirty as it normally is. They don’t accidentally bump shoulders or brush fingers next to one another. Before long, they reach the science building.

“Hey, you wanna hang after class?” Nursey asks before Dex can bolt to his physics class.

Dex bites his lip. “Sure?”

Nursey leans in and says, “After you finish your test, check your phone.”

Dex purses his lips and frowns, but rather than asking Nursey to clarify, he nods and heads to his physics class to take his test.

The test itself isn’t that bad. He finishes in record time, and he feels pretty confident about it. But when he checks his phone, like Nursey told him to, he nearly chucks it across the room.

“I’m so horny I can’t focus” the text reads, and Dex wants to bury his face into a pillow and just stop blushing. He can’t see his own face, but he knows for certain that he’s as red as a tomato.

One of the kids near him--TJ, Dex thinks--notices him turn an entirely different color and bury his face in his hands.

“You okay, bro?”

Dex flinches when he looks up at probably-TJ. “‘m fine.”

“You sure? Your face is the same color as your hair.” He grins, placing his hands on Dex’s shoulders. “You gettin’ some, Poindexter?”

“Uh--”

“Oh, it’s complicated, right? I getcha. I got that going on with my girl Nina.” He sighs and slaps Dex’s shoulder in comradery. “Good luck with that, bro.”

Dex flies out of the auditorium as soon as class is over--he has to talk to Nursey otherwise he’s sure he’s going to explode.

He even walks up a flight of stairs to Nursey’s classroom. When he catches Nursey’s eye, that asshole’s sitting there, slowly putting his laptop in his backpack.

“Someone’s eager,” Nursey says with a big grin.

“Why the fuck would you send me a text like that?” Dex demanded, all red faced and trying not to shout, but ultimately failing.

“Chill, Poindexter, I just wanted to get you in the mood.”

“In the mood?”

“Yeah, bro. I thought us ‘hanging out’ meant making love, but I guess not.” Nursey shrugs and gets up to begin walking out of his classroom. Of course he would use 'making love' instead of 'fucking' because he's pretentious and surprisingly old-fashioned like that and--

Nursey's gone, and Dex has no idea where he is. Ignoring everyone's stares at him, he rushes out of the lecture hall and spots Nursey looking back at him incredulously. As soon as Dex catches up, the two start walking together. Well. It's actually more Nursey is smiling with a skip in his step, and Dex is trailing behind in anger and frustration over the current situation. If it were a cartoon, Dex would have smoke coming out of his ears.

“Dex, I don’t get why you’re so pissed off. We’ve had sex before.”

“Yeah, well--” He hums, trying to think of a comeback, but nothing comes to him.

“Look, I just wanted to try something different, but you’re clearly not into that, so I won’t do it again, okay?”

“Okay.” Dex sighs, almost in relief. “Okay, fine.”

“Can I make it up to you?” There’s a hint of flirtiness in his voice--not romantic flirting, Dex assures himself. Nursey’s only trying to get in his pants.

But Dex grins anyway, teeth showing and dimples and everything. “Yeah, let’s go to my place. My roommate shouldn’t be home.”

“Perfect.” Nursey bites his lip, as though he was nervous about this prospect.

 This time, it wasn’t hard and rough like it normally was--it was soft and gentle and loving, and oh yes, could Dex get used to this. ~~It is absolutely not making love like Nursey said. Absolutely not.~~

They decide afterwards to get takeout and watch shitty 80s movies. Dex’s roommate comes in when they’re cocooned together on the bed under piles of blankets and pillows, but he leaves as soon as he sees them together.

“Your roommates a fucking weirdo,” Nursey notes.

“You’re a fucking weirdo,” Dex shoots back.

“Your mom’s a fucking weirdo.”

And Dex can’t help but smile so wide and so bright. He has to hold in laughter, but it ends up sounding more like a giggle, which, of course, Nursey chirps him about.

They still haven’t kissed outside of the times they’ve had sex, but Dex doesn’t mind; he just likes being near Nursey. And he might ignore the fact that they’re holding hands by the end of the night, but it’s easier to be quiet about things like that than bring it up and complicate everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dex my poor confused child why are you always so gay and confused in every fic I write
> 
> Anyway, I was gonna post this chapter tomorrow bc tomorrow is the update (still not sure about this? is this confirmed? did that tumblr post confirm it??) and it's my birthday so I wanted to thank ngozi for such a beautiful birthday gift but I'm posting this a day early bc I just really like procrastinating on studying


	3. Chapter 3

Dex doesn’t quite understand the concept of friends with benefits, and neither, apparently, does Nursey, because Nursey walks into Dex’s dorm room--how the hell did he even get in?--and announces that someone asked him to Winter Screw. Dex doesn’t care. Why did Nursey even bring it up?

“Whoah, dude, calm down. I just… I wanted to ask you if you were okay with that, and you’re clearly not, so…”

“That’s not fucking true. I don’t give a shit whether or not you go with some chick--”

“It’s a guy.”

  
It feels like a punch in the gut. 

 

Dex stares down at his feet. He isn’t mad, he isn’t seething with rage, he doesn’t hate Nursey--he’s just upset. It’s more of a longing feeling than a jealous feeling.

“Okay, whatever.” Dex doesn’t look up at him.

“So you’re okay if I go with him?”

“I’m not your mom. You don’t have to ask permission every time you decide to fuck someone else.”

  
“I thought--” Nursey’s face falls, and he opens his mouth to say something but then closes it immediately and sighs. “Okay.”

 

This guy turns out to be a douchebag. He’s on the LAX team--Dex can already hear Shitty rolling in his grave, and Shitty hasn’t even remotely died yet--and he keeps making fun of the hockey team as though Nursey himself were no on the team. He also keeps a respectable bro distance whenever a guy he knows walks by the two of them. Dex only knows this because Nursey’s giving him a play-by-play via text. Which makes Dex feel a little better about the whole situation, but still.

Dex himself elected to stay home during Winter Screw, so he’s pretty much the only person in all of Samwell without a date and without anyone to spend the night with. No stupid Nursey to watch _The Walking Dead_ with (they just need to finish the last episode of the latest season, and Dex is in agony). No stupid Nursey to listen to whatever hipstery indie bullshit Nursey always listened to. No--

He really needs to stop thinking about Nursey.

At about 10:30, Nursey himself barges in Dex’s room. The LAX bro is nowhere to be seen--likely currently retreating within the depths of fake heterosexuality--and Nursey’s swayed footsteps indicate that he’s tipsy but not quite hammered.

“Dexy. Sexy Dexy.” Nursey laughs. “Bro, your name rhymes with sexy.”

Dex blushes in response. “No, it doesn’t, idiot.”

“Then it rhymes with… sex. No, that’s too easy. And childish--rex. It rhymes with rex. Like T-rex. My man Dex is like a T-rex. Or my man Dex is really good at sex, if we're still being immature about it.” Except the words "immature" don't exact fit in his tipsy mouth, so it sounds more like "im-chure" than anything else, but it doesn't really matter because Dex would rather change the subject.

“What happened to Chad, or Brad, or whatever?” he asks.

  
Nursey wrinkles up his nose. “Fuck him. And not literally. He’s an asshole. All those LAX bros are the same.”

 

“Careful, Nurse, that’s stereotyping.”

 

“It’s not stereotyping if it’s accurate. Would it be stereotyping if I said every straight guy likes girls? A fucking universal trait, I swear.” He then collapses on the bed next to Dex, curling his neck against Dex’s knee. “You’re so warm,” he hums.

 

“That’s pretty gay.”

 

“That’s the point.”

 

Dex turns pale and freezes at that response. He doesn’t know what he’ll do if Nursey actually reciprocates his feelings--if Nursey wants to kiss him and date him and have his babies if that were biologically possible. The thought actually scares him, if he's being honest.   
  


“Night, Nursey.”

 

“Night, Dexy. Sexy Dexy.”

  
It’s strange that the panic over being gay is coming after Dex has had sex with a boy so many times that he’s lost count how many, but again, Dex was never one to follow the rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it seems coincidentally I'm publishing a chapter every 10 days, so I think I'll stick to that schedule.
> 
> Sorry if this one is so short. My quarter is ending next week, and I've been working on college apps (you may think this chapter is an act of procrastination, but I've already submitted my application :))))))) )
> 
> But yeah thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

A couple months after what Dex calls the Winter Screw Incident of 2k15, Dex is coming home from practice. It’s March, and it’s starting to warm up, but there’s still residue snow leftover from the bitter winter before, and it’s not warm enough for it to melt all in one day quite yet.

 

Dex is absent-mindedly listening to music in his headphones when someone removes both his hat and one of his earbuds. He’s about to tear this person a new one when he stares into familiar gray eyes.

 

“Fuck, man, don’t do that to me.” Dex shakes his head.

 

Nursey shrugs. “You stole my beanie. I wanted it back.”

 

“Is this yours? I didn’t even notice.”

 

He slaps his cheeks. “Aw, babe, are we sharing clothes now?” His voice rises an octave, as though he were taking to a dog or a baby. Though, knowing Nursey, no one would trust him to be even twenty feet away from their newborn child, but that’s besides the point.

 

“Fuck off.” Dex shakes his head with a grin on his face that he’s trying so hard to suppress, but Nursey chirps him for it anyway.

 

They keep walking to Dex’s dorm and end up camping out on his bed. As soon as they walk in, giggling, his roommate sighs very audibly, slams his laptop shut, and leaves the room.

 

“Dude, I don’t think your roommate likes me.”

 

“He probably thinks we’re sexiling him.”

 

“Mm, you wanna prove him right?” Nursey’s smirking, and Dex can’t deal with the bedroom eyes he’s seeing.

 

He snorts. “You’re a shit sweet-talker, but sure.”

 

They start off slowly making out, which devolves into more and more touching and groping and kissing. Of course, as soon as they’re ready to start is when Dex notices that he’s out of condoms.

 

“God damnit,” he hisses.

 

“What?”

 

Dex’s hair is sticking every which way, and Nursey’s got a hickey on his neck, and they’re both in various states of disarray with kiss-swollen lips and rumpled clothing, and now they have to stop because Nursey can’t stop spouting about how safe sex is important, and Dex becomes less and less turned on the more he talks.

 

“I’m not going all the way to the Haus just to get a condom.” Dex shakes his head.

 

“Ugh, fine, whatever. It’s chill.”

  
But it’s clearly not chill, and Nursey looks disappointed--far more disappointed than he should be about not being able to have sex with his friend with benefits.

 

Dex sighs. “Look, I don’t mind. If we…”

 

“If the next words out of your mouth are ‘don’t use a condom,’ you’re not getting a blowjob for a whole month, I swear to--”

 

“Do you have sex with anyone else besides me?” Dex interrupts, rolling his eyes.

 

“No, but--”

 

“I don’t either.”

 

“But I haven’t been tested in a while, and I--”

 

“Nursey, if you don’t want to have unprotected sex, we just won’t have sex. It’s not a big deal. I really don’t care.”

  
Nursey slumps down on the bed, curling into Dex. “Sorry I’m such a buzzkill.”

 

“I told you, I don’t mind. I just thought you really wanted to do it.” Dex wraps an arm around him, and at this point they’re certified cuddling, but Dex isn’t going to deal with that now.

 

“Yeah, but my moms put the fear of God into me when they gave me The Talk, so I’m not allowed to have sex without a condom.”

 

“Not allowed? What are you, twelve?” Dex laughs.

 

Nursey rolls his eyes, shaking his head but grinning at the same time. “Ugh, Dex, you’re the worst. So mean to me.”

 

“Drama queen.”

 

“You’re one to talk.”

 

And Dex can’t help but thinking that this is exactly what he wants for the rest of his life. He wants to be cuddling with his husband on their bed, playfully poking fun at each other and giggling about all the stupid things in their lives. He knows now he can never marry a girl, and that he’s gonna have to tell his parents, and that everything is going to be different, but the fact that Nursey is voluntarily cuddling with him and they’re not even dating gives him some hope.

 

It all seems to be okay until Dex gets a phone call from his older brother, Connor.

 

“Dude, I’ve been trying to cover for you, but Mom’s getting really suspicious why you don’t have a girlfriend,” Connor hisses into the phone. “She keeps asking me if you talk about any girls, and I keep telling her, ‘No, Mother, good little William has not interacted with girls,’ and she’s like--well, you know her. ‘Oh, that’s strange. Maybe he just doesn’t have the confidence.’”

 

“Fuck. Are you for real?” Dex groans.

 

“I mean, you’re gonna have to tell her eventually. I’m assuming you’re not gonna marry a lady?”

 

He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, and I’m definitely marrying a guy.”

 

“I dunno. Isn’t it legal in New York? Isn’t that where your boyfriend lives? And I think it's legal here?”

 

And Dex can’t even correct Connor because Nursey is sitting right next to him, and if he does, Nursey will either chirp him like there’s no tomorrow or become so disappointed that he stops talking to Dex.

 

“What should we do?”

 

“Just bring your boyfriend over. Derek, was it? Derek can sweet-talk the pants off of Mom and Dad, and then you can be like, ‘Hey, we’re actually dating.’ I don’t know. Something like that.”

 

“Yeah, and I should bring a rainbow cake, too, that says ‘I’m a homosexual please don’t burn me at the stake.’ Great idea.”

 

“Look, I’m trying here.” Connor sighs. “Mom’s gonna want you to come for Easter. Just bring Derek. Tell her you’re best friends, and that you want him to be there. Or lie and say he’d be all alone for spring break because his parents are rich as fuck and went on vacation without him. Something like that.”

  
“You can’t keep lying to them for me?”

 

“It’s harder than you think. And it’ll be even harder for you, trust me. I still haven’t told Mom or Dad that Stacy and I can’t have biological kids for reasons other than reproductive ineptitude.”

 

“You’re an idiot. It’s not like they’re gonna make you divorce her once they realize she doesn’t have a vagina.”

 

“You never know.” He pauses. “I have to pick up Katie from preschool. I’ll see you at Easter. And maybe Derek if you grow a pair.”

 

“Fuck off.” Dex chuckles. “Tell Katie I say hi.”

 

“Oh, she’ll be very excited that you said that. See you, little bro.”

 

As soon as he hangs up, Nursey pokes him in the side. “Who’s that?”

  
“Connor,” he says, as though that explains everything. Nursey stares. “Oh, my older brother. My mom wants me to come up for Easter.”

 

“I heard him say my name…”

 

“Yeah, well. My mom keeps asking why I don’t have a girlfriend.”

 

“And you’ve mentioned me?” Nursey raises an eyebrow.

 

“Only to Connor. My parents only know you as my d-line partner.”

 

“‘S chill.” Nursey cracks a smile. “So, what? He wants me to come as your boyfriend?”

 

“Uh…”

 

“I mean, I’d do it. It’s not like we haven’t kissed before.”

 

Dex almost wants to point out that giving each other hickies and sloppily making out is _not_ the kind of kissing he should be doing in front of his parents, but he’s too tired to argue at this point.

 

“Okay, I’ll tell my moms. I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.”

 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol this fic has evolved into something entirely else but it was gonna be SUPER angsty and tbh I'm too tired for angst
> 
> My update schedule remains the same: every 10 days. I'll post something in the notes if I'm ever not on schedule
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading :)


	5. Chapter 5

Dex calls his mom first. She excitedly picks up the phone; it doesn’t even take a ring for her to answer.

 

“William, it’s so good to talk to you!”

 

“Hey, Mom.” Dex tries to remain calm, but this is the closest he’s gotten to actually coming out to anyone--and he doesn’t really count Nursey, who he came out to by fucking him, or Connor, who he came out to by accidentally sending him a text meant for Nursey. He prays to whatever higher power exists that she doesn’t notice the shakiness in his voice.

 

“You know, I was talking to Connor the other day,” she starts.

 

“Oh? What about?” But he knows exactly what she’s going to bring up, and his throat constricts in fear. 

“He said that you haven’t had a girlfriend yet.” Her voice isn’t rude, and she doesn’t seem to be pressuring him, but the very idea that his mother doesn’t know that he does not, has not, and will not like girls absolutely terrifies him.

“Well, uh…”

“Will, your father and I met in college, as I’m sure you know. Stacy and Connor did, too. It’s alright if you don’t feel confident enough, but I’ve been wondering…”

“Actually, Mom, I’m bringing someone home,” he interrupts.

  
“Oh?”

 

His heart is beating out of his chest, and he can already feel his throat constrict, but he moves past it. “Yeah, and I really like them, so I don’t want you to mess this up.”

“What’s her name?”

Oh God, he didn’t think about that. He didn’t think about the name. And Derek is such a masculine name, too; there’s no way to avoid this. “Uh… you’ll meet them when they get there. For Easter.”

She seems to buy it, or maybe she doesn’t, but Dex doesn’t care because she moves on from the topic. “Well, alright. I love you, Will.”

“Love you, too, Mom.” He breathes a sigh of relief when his mom hangs up on him and collapses on his bed.

His roommate looks over at him. “You’re gonna have to tell her, you know.”

Dex scowls and proceeds to get up. He grabs his jacket, and before he leaves, he says, “Jeremy, we’re not friends. Don’t pretend to care about my personal life.”

 

He storms out and checks his phone on his way to Nursey’s dorm. He gets a text from Connor. It’s a screenshot of a text from their mom.

 

“You didn’t tell me Billy had a girlfriend???” it says from their mom. Connor comments, “You fucking idiot,” and Dex replies, “I panicked?”

Dex is just lucky straight people are, for the most part, clueless.

At the same time, Nursey’s calling up his moms. They respond with the same enthusiasm as Dex’s mom, but they’re speaking in Filipino (only Malaya, his step-mom, speaks it as a first language--his biological mother, Hannah, learned it to impress her girlfriend at the time, and Nursey and Izzy learned it after English in the first grade).

“Derek! How are you?” Malaya asks.

“Mama, you know how I’m sorta but not really because it’s complicated dating that boy on my hockey team?”

She hums in response. “Have you fixed that yet?”

“Well, no…” His voice trails off. “But he asked me to meet his family.”

 

“Oh, wow, it’s that serious?” Hannah laughs.

 

“Wait, but honey, I thought you two were just…”

“I mean, I think that’s what he thinks of the relationship. I don’t really know. He doesn’t tell me anything. But then there’s other times where he’ll act really coupley and affectionate, and it’s super weird.”

“Maybe he’s scared to talk to you about it. Didn’t you say he wasn’t out to his family?”

“Yeah, but he’s using me to come out over spring break. You know, it’s easier to come out to someone when you have a reason to,” Nursey explains.

“Of course.”

“Honey, are you sure this is a good idea? Don’t you like him?”

 

He sighs. Of course Hannah wouldn’t understand. “Well, I’m also his friend, Mom. I don’t want something bad to happen to him when he comes out.”

 

“Well, alright. You can spend spring break with him if you want.” He can already see her rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

“Thanks Moms. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetheart. Skype us once in awhile, why don’t you? You’re not seeing us now until summer, after all… And Izzy says she misses you, even know she'll never admit it.”

“Yes, Mama. I’ll remember. Tell Izzy I miss her, too.”

“Tell your boy I say hi, and that if he hurts you, I'll break his neck.”

He chuckles in spite of the threat. “Of course, Mom. I’ll talk to you two later.”

As soon as he hangs up, Dex marches in the room ~~does he have a key??~~  and plops himself on Nursey’s bed. He starts looking through his phone, not paying Nursey any mind.

 

“My moms said it’d be okay.”

Dex is clearly too enthralled in whatever he was reading, because Nursey has to hit him in order for him to respond. “Oh, yeah. Um. Okay, cool.”

“What’s that you’re reading?”

“My dad texted me. He’s asking me about my girlfriend.” He almost laughs, but it sounds more spiteful than anything. “Can’t wait to be such a huge disappointment.”

“Are you sure you want to do this, Dex?”

“Self-deprecation is my coping mechanism. I’m fine, Nursey. It’s just gonna suck for a while, but they’ll come around.”

 

Nursey’s not so sure, but then again, he has absolutely no idea of what Dex’s family is like. He’s just making assumptions at this point, but he knows that Dex isn’t gonna be in a good place for a while until his parents come around--if they come around.

 

He can’t imagine his parents not loving him because he happens to like boys. Not that his moms ever would--it would be a bit hypocritical of them if they did--but anyone he loves, really. Sure, there were the assholes at Andover, but they were privileged private school kids who’d never seen nor used plastic utensils and couldn’t make a dent in their banking accounts from twenty, let alone one, shopping trips. And kids in college don't really give a fuck about who you sleep with.

 

It’s at this point that Nursey realizes that his stupid, childish crush isn’t important. Dex needs help. Dex needs help if his parents accept him. Dex needs help if his parents outright reject him. Dex needs help if his parents are uncomfortable at first but eventually become the loudest ones cheering at Dex’s wedding in the future. Because coming out to a mom and dad is the hardest thing to do, and they just don’t understand. They never do. Even if they don’t hate their children-- _ they don’t understand _ .

 

And so Nursey’s feelings don’t matter, at least not now. All of that would have to go on the backburner until this goddamn trip is over.

“Well, I’ll be here for you. You know that, right?”

 

The look on Dex’s face right before he collapses into Nursey’s arms just about breaks his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify, Izzy is Nursey's older sister, and Nursey's moms speak Filipino with him but seeing as 1) I do not speak or know Filipino in any capacity, and 2) google translate sucks ass, their whole conversation is written in English
> 
> Also, thank you to everyone who commented about this fic it literally makes my day to read all the nice comments


	6. Chapter 6

Dex and Nursey drive to Maine together. It’s pretty quiet, and all Nursey sees are endless forests of trees. They’re bright green, but the leaves slowly start becoming darker and more needly as they head more north.

 

It’s all fine. Really. Dex is in the driver’s seat, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gear shift, and Nursey’s tapping along to the music they’re listening to (Correction:  _ he’s _ listening to; Dex is trying to tune it out).

 

About halfway there, in the great state of New Hampshire, a song that Nursey put on The Great Homosexual Roadtrip Playlist of ‘15--“Nursey, we  _ cannot _ call it that”--comes on. It’s the one that reminds him of Dex: Nursey likes to believe it’s not romantic or anything. It’s not  _ their song _ . It’s just nice. It makes him feel warm.

 

The singer’s voice rings out in the car, and Dex bites his lip. Nursey’s trying to ignore the blush creeping up Dex’s neck, but it’s really hard--it’s so obvious, and Nursey can’t help but think--

 

No. This isn’t the time or place. Even if Dex likes him, it doesn’t matter. Well, not yet, at least. Nursey can control himself for five days.

“What’s this corny shit?” Dex raises his eyebrow, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to take a glance at Nursey, who’s looking more and more sheepish by the minute.

The song’s called, “I Think I’m In Love,” and Nursey’s trying not to freak out. He’s really trying. It just reminds him of Dex so much, and he’s got a ridiculous crush on him that he can’t really hide in times like these. “It’s nothing. Dude, I just like the song.”

Dex bites his lip again, but this time he’s failing at hiding a smile. “Yeah? Remind you of anyone?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Come on. I’m your boyfriend, remember?” He’s got a sly fucking grin on his face, and Nursey wants nothing more than to punch him. Or kiss him. Nursey's really not sure.

“I don’t wanna get into an accident because you’re not paying attention to the fucking road.” It’s not the best change in subject, but it’s passable. Dex takes it, anyway.

He starts talking about his family--about his brother (“God, what an asshole”), his sister-in-law (“She’s trans, but my parents don’t know that, so don’t bring it up”), his adorable little niece (“You’re gonna have to be the princess for her ‘cause she likes being the knight”), and his parents. He kinda skips past his parents, and it makes Nursey wonders what their relationship is like.

 

They’re interrupted once to get gas. Nursey tries looking at his phone, but there’s no cell coverage, so he turns up the music. Another song comes on, and it’s not quite so _Dex_ , but Nursey remembers him groaning when it came on the radio the last time.

 

Unlike last time, Dex is not complaining. He’s leaning against the car door and peering through the opened window on the driver’s side as the tank fills up. “We’re almost there. If we’re lucky, we’ll get there before my dad gets there.”

 

“You got something against your dad, or what?”

 

“Or what.” Dex sighs, pressing his chest against the car door and leaning in. “We’re gonna say we’re friends at first, okay?”

“I mean, I kinda figured. You don’t really nosedive into coming out.”

“Yeah.” The gas pump clicks, and Dex’s head turns. “Okay.”

After he gets situated, they head off. Nursey’s subconsciously inching his hand toward the gear shift--he doesn’t even realize it until they’re holding hands. Actually, really holding hands. And Dex only complains when he has to shift gears, but then he grabs Nursey’s hand again, padding his thumb against the back Nursey’s hand.

 

He doesn’t know what he did to deserve it, but he must’ve done something really nice in his past life.

 

They arrive at four o’clock. They’re sitting in the car, and Dex is trying to breathe, and Nursey’s trying to coax him into coming out of the car.

“You ready, bro?”

Dex shuts his eyes tight and nods. “Yeah,” he breathes.

Nursey gently rubs his shoulder. “I got your back, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dex nods again, but his voice is still shaky.

“Then let’s do this?” Nursey stops rubbing, but he leaves his hand on Dex’s shoulder.

 

“Yeah, let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it and I'm only 3 days late!!
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter's so short I've been really busy lately but I promise for next time I'll 1) post on time/early and 2) make it a hell of a lot longer
> 
> Also, the song Nursey's referencing is "I Think I'm In Love" by Kat Dahlia and it's literally so nurseydex it hurts


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as Dex and Nursey open the car doors, Dex’s mom is waiting for them on the front porch. She’s got short blonde hair and brown eyes like Dex, except eye color is about where the resemblance stops.

 

She runs toward Dex, who’s getting stuff out of the trunk. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

 

Nursey, conveniently, pops next to Dex and leans against the car. “Hi, Mrs. Poindexter. How are you?”

 

“William, who’s this?” She shoots Dex a look of confusion, but regardless, she excitedly greets Nursey.

 

They’re shaking hands when Dex answers, “Derek Nurse. He’s on my team.”

 

“I thought you were bringing a girl home?”

 

“I said I was seeing someone.”

  
“But--”

 

A loud shriek comes from inside the house. Bouncing red hair with freckles dotting a button nose and a dress that’s probably the height of toddler fashion comes racing out of the house. “Uncle Billy!” the girl shouts.

 

“Katie!” Dex exclaims, swooping her up in his arms. “Gosh, you’ve gotten so big since I last saw you!”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yeah, I bet you’re a big kid now!”

 

“Daddy says I am, and so does Mommy,” she declares rather confidently.

 

“Oh, I’m sure they do.” Dex nods along.

 

“Uncle Billy, who’s that?” Katie points at Nursey.

 

“This is Derek. He’s a _really_ good friend of mine.”

 

Nursey would have choked were he drinking water. Like certifiably needed someone to get medical assistance kind of choke. Instead, he almost gets whiplash from turning his head too quickly in Dex’s direction. _Really_ good friend of his. Nursey could never have imagined there to be that much innuendo in the word “really.” It's absurd.

 

“Grammy said you were bringing a girlfriend.”

 

Dex laughs. “Grammy gets things wrong sometimes.” He sighs and looks over at Nursey. “Derek, could you bring the luggage in? I’ve got some quality catching-up to do with the bestest niece in the whole world.”

 

“Uh, yeah?”

 

That left Nursey with Mrs. Poindexter, and that was the last place in the world he wanted to be. He didn’t want to have to answer questions about Dex. He didn’t want to explain why _he_ got to visit the family but Dex’s supposed girlfriend didn’t.

 

And he and Dex weren’t even dating. This whole situation would almost be funny if it weren’t for the fact that he was hopelessly in love with Dex.

 

Mrs. Poindexter’s got confusion written all over her face with a furrowed brow and upturned lips. She looks like she’s trying to figure out what to say.

 

“Ma’am?”

 

She almost startles. “Yes, Derek?”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I just thought you’d be--well--a girl. He said he’d bring a girl. He said he was dating a girl.”

 

Nursey’s internally cringing at the pronouns, but his external demeanor is quite calm. He shrugs, as though lying by omission is a completely nonchalant thing to do. “He’s not dating any girl, from what I can remember.”

 

“But he told me he really liked a girl, and that he was bringing her home...” Her voice trails off, and she purses her lips. Then realization clearly dawns on her, and she’s trying to keep a straight phase, but it’s not working one bit. “Alright.” She gestures at the suitcases. “Do you--do you need help carrying your bags? At all?”

 

“No, it’s fine, ma’am. I’m all good.”

 

“You can call me Cathy.” She’s averting her gaze, as though she doesn’t want to have to memorize the face of the boy that she thinks her son likes. “I have to go inside to help with dinner. Come with me?”

 

They walk in together, and Dex’s mom beelines for a man standing at the stove singing along to the same “dad rock” music Dex listens to. It’s playing on a speakerphone, and the man’s dancing along to it while he’s cooking, and Katie’s swaying her body in mimic of real dancing, and she’s giggling the whole time.

 

“Mr. Derek, join us! We’re dancing!”

 

“Mr. Derek’s gotta put his suitcase in Uncle Billy’s room first, Princess,” the man admonishes.

 

Nursey nods at him in gratitude before going up the stairs. It doesn’t take long for him to find Dex’s room, but he’s shocked when he sees it.

 

  
It’s fairly plain, but it’s blue, and it’s got a bunk bed with a desk at the bottom bunk. Everything seems far too neat for a teenage boy, but Nursey imagines he wouldn’t get the same image if he visited during the summer. Dex isn’t a particularly clean person.

 

He looks at the dresser against the wall, with all the trinkets from hockey and school and things like that.

 

“Does my mom know?”

 

Nursey doesn’t even turn around. “I think so. It’s kinda hard to hide it when you said you really liked this person.”

 

Dex wraps his arms around Nursey’s waist, and for a minute, Nursey’s forgotten that they aren’t dating. He’s forgotten that they don’t do this, that don’t touch like this. It’s far too comfortable, far too intimate, but it’s also far too loving and gentle and kind and everything that Dex is _not_.

 

Dex is burrowing his nose into the crook of Nursey’s neck when Dex’s mom walks into the room.

 

She turns bright red, even redder than he’s seen Dex turn, and she’s biting her lip, and she’s trying to speak but words fail to come out of her mouth.

 

Dex untangles himself from Nursey and faces his mom. They’re not even touching, and Dex’s mom is visibly uncomfortable. Not angry, just uncomfortable. “Is dinner ready?”

 

“Yeah, Will, it is.” She breathes in. “Actually, Will, could you stay in here for a minute? I need to talk to you.”

 

Dex gives Nursey a pitiful, terrified look. Nursey simply pats his shoulder and starts heading downstairs.

 

Both Dex and his mom remain, standing in uncomfortable silence. It seems like an eternity before anyone speaks, and of course it’s his mom. “Now, William, I’m not an idiot.”

 

“I never said you were.”

 

“It’s just… With Derek being here, and you telling me you really like the person you’re bringing home… It makes me wonder….”

 

“Wonder what?” His breath catches in his throat--this is it. His mom is gonna know. His mom will know he’s gay. His mom will know he likes boys. His mom will know he does things that she won’t necessarily approve of.

 

“Are you and Derek, um, dating?”

 

Dex realizes that telling your mother that you’re only fucking, not dating, someone is out of line, even if you are out of the closet. “I--” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “It’s complicated,” he says finally.

 

“Okay.” She bites her lip. “I just… I want you to know if you were… I think I’d be okay with it.”

 

He freezes, trying to control his face so that he wouldn’t give away what he was feeling. “Thanks, Mom.”

 

“Come down to dinner with me?”

 

“Mom, I’m gay.”

 

“I take that as a yes, then?”

 

He nods, and they walk down together. Nursey, Katie, Connor, and Stacy are all sitting at the table and talking, trying to act as nonchalantly as possible. As soon as Nursey notices Dex, he stands up abruptly and walks over to him.

 

“Dex--Will--do you need--”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

They eat dinner in silence, with the exception of Katie, who chats the entire time about school, about the class pet, about hockey, about everything. She never stops talking.

 

Shortly after dinner, they all gather in the living room, and most of the adults watch basketball, while Dex and Nursey try to entertain Katie.

 

Nursey’s in agony because Dex is so good with kids, and it’s not fair. Nursey seriously wishes he wasn’t such a hopeless romantic because this trip is going to be the death of him. Imagining himself and Dex playing house with the most perfect little girl is _not_ helping his obnoxious and annoying crush on him.

 

He mentally slaps himself. He’s fucking nineteen, and they’re not even officially dating: he needs to calm down.

 

After Katie’s put to bed, Dex and Nursey come downstairs to presumably Dex’s father.

 

The man that’s standing in the middle of the living room looks a lot more like Connor than Dex, but he can still tell that all the kids in the family got their genes from their father. He’s stocky and a redhead and wearing a plaid button-up shirt. Nursey thinks he might have a perpetually grumpy face if it weren’t for the amused look he shoots his wife when he sees her.

 

“Cathy, what’s this about William bringing someone home?”

 

Dex’s mom quickly sucks in a breath. “David, this is Derek. He’s on William’s team.”

 

He looks at Nursey, who can already read the disappointment at Dex’s choice in friendship all over the man’s face. “You one of William’s teammates?”

 

“Nice to meet you, sir.” Derek shakes his hand and tries to make sure he’s not shaking while he’s doing it.

 

Dex’s father looks at him incredulously. “Why didn’t you invite your girlfriend? I thought you’d bring her for me to meet.”

 

“Well, that’s the thing. Um, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Nursey’s heart is pounding in his chest; he’s so worried for Dex. So fucking worried. He can hardly breathe.

 

“But your mother said you were seeing someone?” He glares at Dex’s mother.

 

“Honey, that’s what he told me, but, uh… Things have changed.” She’s panicking. Dex and Nursey are panicking. Everyone’s panicking.

 

Unfortunately, Mrs. Poindexter does not give a flying rat’s ass about who her sons date. As long as they’re both being treated right, it does not matter to her. The concept of her child being gay is foreign, but not impossible, not wrong or immoral.

 

But then there’s Mr. Poindexter, and oh boy, does he care a lot. It’s gotten so bad that even some of the _Republicans_ in the family have defriended him on Facebook. Which is fine. Totally fine. Dex keeps telling himself it’s fine.

 

“David, can I talk to you? Alone? William has something to tell you, and I wanna make sure everything’s okay.”

 

“Alright?”

 

As soon as they leave the room, Dex turns his head to face Nursey, and immediately begins spewing off, “Oh my fucking God, what if he kicks me out? What if he cuts me off? What if everything goes horribly wrong? What if he _beats_ me? I mean, he’d do that, right? Beat me? Some of my friends here said their dad beat them. I mean, luckily they got into school on a full-ride scholarship, and they didn’t ever have to see their dad ever again, but still. What if he--”

 

“Dex.” Nursey places his hands on both of Dex’s shoulders. “You’re fine. Everything will be fine. I promise.”

 

“Okay.”

 

But it’s really not okay because as soon as Nursey says that, there’s shouting, and there’s certain words that slice daggers into Dex’s heart, and there’s slamming of doors, and all of a sudden, Dex’s dad is storming toward him, red-faced and with a fury Dex had never once seen before in his life.

 

“William Justin Poindexter, you are not one of those queers, you hear me?”

 

And instead of getting sad or angry or scared, Dex is just tired. He really is. It’s exhausting, trying to be someone you’re not. “You should’ve told me that before Derek started fucking me almost a year ago.”

 

Dex’s dad just turns even redder, but he doesn’t even look at Nursey, and Dex is thanking his lucky stars that his dad isn’t one of those you-turned-my-son-gay-so-I’m-gonna-punch-you homophobes. “You what?”

 

“We had sex. Are still having sex. We had sex before we drove here, actually.”

 

And then there’s a sharp, piercing pain, and a red hand-shaped mark across his face. “And this is going to stop.” His dad’s eyes narrow, and if he’s trying to look threatening, it’s working.

 

Dex rubs his cheek where he was slapped, but he continues regardless. “Nah, and I’d rather this not ruin Easter. I’m gay; it’s not a big deal.”

 

“It’s absolutely a big deal.”

 

If only it's easier to keep talking, but it's not. Dex is on the verge of a certified mental breakdown. Holding back anger and rejection and tears only works for so long, and he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll last.

 

So he grabs Nursey by the hand and drags him upstairs. His dad’s yelling after him, but he just doesn’t care. He’s tired, and he needs to sleep, and he’s got another four days of dealing with his parents.

 

When they get into bed, they don’t speak. There’s no words to explain just how shitty this is. So they just lie there, wrapped in each other’s arms as Dex nuzzles into Nursey’s neck.

 

Nursey wishes he could have this every day. He knows he can’t, but he’s praying--and he never prays--that Dex is his and only his, and that Dex’s dad doesn’t hate him.

 

“I love you,” Nursey whispers.

 

And he doesn’t know if Dex takes it the way he intends, but he just wants Dex to know. Because in a sea of uncertainty, in his dad reacting the way he did, Dex just needs someone who’ll love him no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little heads up: senior year is hitting me hard, and I can't be bothered to do most of my school work. So I might have to extend the deadlines I set up for myself. (Also this chapter was just a really hard chapter lol writing parents reactions is so hard cause mine were chill and Dex's dad... just.... wasn't......)
> 
> Though it's Thanksgiving break, so I'll try to get out a chapter in a couple days (maybe less).
> 
> Thank you for putting up with the weird schedule I have, and thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

They wake up to someone opening the door without warning. Nursey bolts up, trying to untangle himself from Dex, but Dex holds on like a koala and nuzzles into Nursey’s stomach. Because apparently they’ve reached that point.

 

“William, I--” It’s Dex’s dad, and he turns pale as snow, but he just coughs uncomfortably and straightens his posture. No one says a word.

 

“Nursey, don’t leave me,” Dex moans, barely awake, but he somehow manages to squeeze even more tightly around Nursey’s stomach.

 

“Will, it’s your dad!” Nursey hisses. “Get up!”

 

“My dad.” He hums. “I came out to my dad. He didn’t like it very much. Bet he hates me, don’t you?”

 

Nursey hits him this time and tries shoving him off. “Will!”

“What the fuck do you want?” Dex slowly sits up, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

“William, your mother made breakfast,” Dex’s dad states.

Dex jumps up, and Nursey can feel the other boy’s pulse racing a mile a minute. “Sorry, Dad, I--” He stops. “Okay.”

 

They come downstairs for breakfast. Everyone else is already sitting, and Stacy’s trying to get Katie to eat the pancakes.

 

“C’mon, Katie, it’s your favorite!” she pleads.

“‘M not hungry,” the girl crosses her arms.

“But you gotta eat breakfast.” She sighs. “It’s the most important meal of the day,” Stacy begs in a sing-songy voice.

“Fine.” Katie crosses her arms. “But I want whipped cream.” She sits down at the table. “And chocolate chips!” she adds.

Dex grabs Nurseys hand as soon as they sit down at the table. Nursey can’t help but assume this is just to fulfill the boyfriend duties, but then again, Dex’s rubbing his thumb against the palm of Nursey’s hand.

 

“Derek, honey, do you want anything?” Dex’s mom asks. “We got eggs, pancakes, bacon. The usual stuff.”

 

Nursey inhales the scent of breakfast. There’s a rich, deep aroma wafting throughout the room. “Coffee?”

Dex snorts. “Of course.”

“Hey, I need my daily dose of caffeine to deal with you.” Nursey grins playfully.

“Mmhm, yeah. I’m just the worst.”

“Absolutely despicable, William.”

Dex squeezes his hand and stares at him affectionately. It’s almost too affectionate. The look sends Nursey’s heart racing, and he tries to appear calm.

“Hey, we got church today. I know it’s Friday, but Jesus died, and all that. There’s a mass at three. Just a head’s up.” 

 

Dex gets up and pours coffee out for the two of them: a drink so white it may as well just be creamer for Nursey and one with just coffee for Dex.

 

Breakfast is a fairly silent ordeal. Dex’s dad is reading the newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee, while Katie’s quietly chomping on her pancakes, and Stacy and Connor are sleepily cuddling on the couch in the living room.

When they all head to mass, Nursey’s kind of panicking. He hasn’t attended a service since Christmas, simply because he doesn’t go when he’s not visiting his moms. He doesn’t really know what to do or say, especially since this is a Catholic mass and not a nondenominational one like the ones he normally goes to, and no matter what anyone says there’s a distinct difference between the two.

“I’m not Catholic,” Nursey whispers into Dex’s ear when they all pile into the car.

 

“Just cross your arms over your chest when everyone goes up for the eucharist. You don’t have to do anything else.”

 

There’s just so many more questions that come with that answer that Nursey doesn’t even bother to ask them.

The service is pretty short. At least, Nursey thinks it is. He doesn’t really remember. He spaces out as soon as they do the first reading, and he doesn’t remember much else. There’s a lot of sitting down and standing up and kneeling and walking up and sitting back down that Nursey doesn’t even bother to pay attention to much else, not even the somber music playing from the church’s organ.

As soon as it’s over, Dex’s parents start to talk to some of the other members of the church. They introduce Nursey as Dex’s teammate, which neither of them are really bothered by.

Katie’s getting donuts by the kitchen, and Stacy and Connor are helping her, and Dex’s parents are talking to the priest, and Dex and Nursey think it’s the perfect time to just get the hell out.

“C’mon, there’s this place I know of,” Dex whispers in Nursey’s ear.

 

Turns out “this place” means a spot behind a dumpster, but whatever, this is not the weirdest place Nursey’s hooked up with someone. At least. He thinks he’s about to hook up with someone.

 

At the very least, they actually do start making out, and Nursey’s telling himself that this is because Dex is bitter and angry and sad, not because he likes kissing Nursey or anything. He’s really trying to, but Dex is so gentle and soft and loving: there’s no clashing of teeth or tongues practically down each other’s throats, there’s lips tentatively pressing against each other and hands wrapped around Nursey’s neck. Dex only deepens the kiss after they both feel comfortable and familiar.

They get so comfortable that the sensation of lips parted almost seems foreign and strange. Dex pulls away abruptly, and Nursey’s head is left reeling. He’s still reaching out when Dex pushes him back.

“There’s someone here,” Dex whispers.

A lanky boy with ashy blonde hair and striking blue eyes stands, leaning against the dumpster. His posture and his face and his  _ everything _ is cocky, and he’s smirking and crossing his arms. “You take all the boys you fuck out here, Billy?”

 

Dex scowls, protectively standing in front of Nursey. “Fuck off, James.”

 

The lanky boy throws his hands up in defeat. “What happened to Jimmy?”

“I learned to stand up against bullshit in college, surprisingly.”

“Who’s this?” Nursey raises an eyebrow.

“James Gardner,” Dex hisses, like the words are a curse.

“No need to be mad, Billy.”

“I told you to stop calling me that.”

Nursey has never seen Dex so angry in his entire life. He’s literally steaming with rage, and his cheeks are completely flushed.

Nursey approaches James. “Look, can you--”

 

“He took me back here, too. Gave me a handjob. Then he freaked out and ran away. I’m amazed he hasn’t done that to you.”

 

It’s completely and utterly silent, and Nursey would honestly rather jump off a cliff than keep talking to or even standing next to  apparently another one of Dex’s flings. In fact, “let me die” is chanting repeatedly in his head, and it doesn’t show any sign of stopping.

“I, um, figured some things out about myself in the past two years,” Dex practically mumbles.

“So you’re one of us queers, then, huh?”

The word ricochets in Nursey’s mind. All he can think about is what Dex’s dad said. Normally that word is base and meaningless to him--his moms use it for Christ’s sake--but it’s been tainted by Dex’s dad and his anger. Dex, no doubt, feels the same, given that fact that he’s frozen in place.

“Don’t--” Dex starts, but his face falls. “I--” He sighs. “I gotta get back to my family.”

“Just wait ‘til Daddy hears about this--”

 

“He already knows,” Dex interrupts. There’s a brief silence, but he quickly fills it. “I told him yesterday. Just…” He sighs. “Let it go. Sorry I jacked you off and left, but I was a scared kid, and now I’ve got a boyfriend, so just… just let it go.”

 

Dex grabs Nursey by the hand rather forcefully and starts taking him toward the car. Before they leave James completely, they both turn around. “We were best friends in high school. What happened to us?”

“I-I-I--” James stutters.

“You’ve become kind of a dick, you know? Maybe you always were, and I just never really realized it. Strange how that can happen to a person.” Dex shrugs. “Well, maybe I’ll see you around.”

They start walking back to the car, and Nursey kind of wants to bounce up and down and high five Dex and throw a party and probably even kiss him.

Connor’s waiting outside of the car. “We were looking for you two,” he says.

  
“Yeah?” Dex eyes him.

 

“You have fun by the dumpsters?” Connor’s tone is completely suggestive and Dex knows it.

He shakes his head and chuckles. “Loads.”

As soon as they all get home, they all just kind of go off to do their own thing. Katie’s drawing with chalk on the sidewalk with Stacy and Connor, and Dex’s parents are inside starting to get ready for dinner.

In the shed next to the driveway, Dex is showing Nursey his tools, and they stay like that for a while, and Nursey’s trying to be interested because that’s what boyfriends do? Are they boyfriends? Officially? The line between pretend and real is becoming increasingly harder to read, and Nursey’s gonna lose it if he can’t talk about it.

“About before…” Nursey’s voice trails off, unsure of how to even start this.

Dex turns a bit pale and drops the tool he was carrying to look up at Nursey. “It’s nothing. I just… It was after our confirmation retreat, and he and I hung back by the dumpster, and I, um--you know--and then I ran off because the thought finally popped in my head ‘hey, that’s actually pretty gay,’ after five minutes of jacking a guy off, so.”

 

“No, not that. Not James. I don’t give a shit about James. He’s--I’m not jealous, or whatever. That’s not what I’m trying to talk about at all, actually. It’s--it’s something else entirely, and--” At this point, he’s basically rambling, but at least he’s  _ trying _ .

 

“Nursey, what the fuck are you going on about?”

He sighs and musters up the courage. “I’m just really… confused? I guess is the word? Because we’d already, you know, done stuff, and now we’re pretending to be a couple, right? Except we aren’t doing anything extra; we’re just doing what we normally do, and it’s honestly, seriously, really fucking with me.”

“Now’s not the time to keep rambling, dude--I still have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“I sometimes forget that we’re not dating,” he blurts. “And by sometimes I mean all the time. And I think, gosh I really wanna kiss him, but you know, if we weren’t about to, like, make love, I wouldn’t have an excuse to kiss you. But I really wanna kiss you. All the time. It’s crazy how much I wanna kiss you.”

 

The shed is silent. Not a single word or sound or even thought can be heard. It feels like the earth just stood still as soon as Nursey said that. Everything’s frozen, and it looks like Dex is trying to process it, but also not really.

Dex stands up and pushes past Nursey.

“Dex, you can’t--”

He whips his head and faces Nursey, not an ounce of good feeling toward him. “You know, that would’ve been nice to know a couple months ago. When we started this whole mess,” he snaps.

“Mess? Dex, I like you. This isn’t a game to me.” Nursey bites his lip.

“Yeah, well, whatever.” Dex turns back around and starts stomping toward the house. “I should’ve never fucking invited him,” he hisses at Connor. “This is your fucking fault.”

 

Nursey’s about to run after him, like in the movies, and there’d be swelling romantic music, and Dex would realize what a fool he was, and there’d probably be an airplane or a bus or a taxi that Nursey has to stop before Dex walks out on his life forever  ~~ Nursey absolutely does not watch chick flicks, he swears . ~~

But this isn’t a goddamn movie. This is real life.

Stacy walks up to him. “You fucked up?”

“Yeah,” he breathes. “I think I fucked up.”

“What’s going on?”

“I told Dex--Will--I liked him.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you two dating?” The lack of response causes her to shake her head, as though she understands immediately. “That’s always a tricky situation.”

 

“I don’t know what to do. If he liked me, then he wouldn’t act like this. I just made him uncomfortable.”

 

“I know you probably think you know Will, but I’ve know him for almost seven years. I saw the face of a scared little boy, crying that he can’t like boys. You didn’t make him uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t?” Nursey’s features soften.

“He’s just being an asshole because you didn’t tell him sooner. Connor and I assumed you two were dating because he talked about you so much, and he texted Connor something that he meant to send to you. It’s a pretty safe bet to say he likes you.”

“Are you sure?” Nursey voice is weak. Mainly because he feels really vulnerable, and he’s not sure he can handle it much longer if Dex doesn’t tell him whether or not the feeling is mutual.

“Yeah, just let him cool down. He can be a big whiny baby if he wants for a couple hours, but don’t put up with it if he’s still sulking after dinner.”

Nursey nods, unfocused and jittery with nerves. “I think I’m in love with him.”

She gives him a weak smile. “I’m sure he feels the same.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally realized the reason I like Dex so much and that's cause we're both gay and Irish Catholic lol
> 
> Anyway, I think I'll be able to upload the next one next Saturday? That's tentative bc I've got an essay and a lab report due on Friday. If not then Sunday or Monday
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	9. Chapter 9

Dex storms into the house with one thing on his mind: he wants to run up to his room and scream into his pillow for a few hours.

 

Of course, as soon as he slams the front door, his father’s up in arms, trying to figure out why his son’s mad.

 

“Will, what’s wrong?” His dad looks like he’s trying to walk a fragile line, like he doesn’t want to break Dex.

 

“Nothing!”

 

“Clearly, there’s something--”

 

“Nursey--Derek--whatever!” Dex interrupts. He knows he’s being childish. He’s fully aware of it. He’s just so unbelievably mad.

His mom and dad look at him tentatively, like they aren’t sure of what to say to that. His dad, especially, has fear and discomfort written all over his face.

“Will, do you wanna talk about it?”

Dex doesn’t respond--he resorts to fidgeting with his hands instead. He hates that he feels like he can’t talk about this with his dad.

But one thing leads to another, and Dex and his dad are in his room, quietly trying to figure out how to have this kind of talk.

“Dad, I really don’t want to talk to you about this.”

“Why? I gave Connor romantic advice.”

 

“You also didn’t hit Connor for who he was dating,” Dex snaps.

 

His dad sighs. “You’re right. That was, um, that was too far. I shouldn’t have done that.” Dex doesn’t respond. “Will, your mother and I had a talk after that happened, and though I may not like it or be completely comfortable with it, I’ll always love you. I’m sorry about that.”

“Okay.” For whatever reason, Dex feels small and vulnerable. Like all his feelings are in his dad’s hands right now. And he doesn’t like it, one bit. “Dad, I don’t know what to do.”

“Did he, um, do something to you? Pressure you at all?”

“No, he’s not like that.” Dex sighs. “God, why am I even mad at him?”

“Well, he obviously did something.” His dad shrugs. “Look, I’m not the best at this, but just… Act like you’re talking about girls. Like how you used to. I’m not gonna pretend to understand what it’s like, but I can try to help.” Dex nods uncomfortably.

“Dad, you know how I said he and I were--well, we were--”

 

“I believe ‘fucking’ was the word you used.”

 

He cringes at his dad’s language. “Well, yeah. Um, that’s all we’ve been doing. Nothing more than that.”

“You’re not dating?”

“I guess we’d be friends with benefits? I dunno. We never talked about it. And, you know, I think that’s why I was mad.”

His dad is looking at him inquisitively, like he’s not sure what to say. So Dex just continues, “He said he liked me. That he wanted to kiss me, or whatever, and we’ve been fucking for the past year, and he couldn’t find it, deep in his heart, to tell me that he likes me more than just friends, and--”

“Well, it’s not like you told him, Will.”

“Dad, that’s not the point. He should’ve told me earlier, and that’s not fair that I’ve been sitting here in absolute agony because I thought my feelings were going unrequited, but no, we could’ve been dating for almost a year now if he didn’t get his head out of his ass--”

 

“You know, Jesus died for you today. I think he’d appreciate if you didn’t use such language.”

 

“Yeah,  Dad, I know. I just--I’m angry. I think Jesus will forgive me if I’m mad at the guy I’ve been screwing--which, you know, I don’t think he’d be too happy about either.” He shakes his dead. “Oh, and then this asshole has the audacity to call what we do ‘making love’ like he and I aren’t just fucking. We’re literally just fucking, and he calls it making love--”

“William,” his dad snaps. “You like him, I’m assuming?”

Dex’s face falls. “Yeah.”

“And he likes you?”

 

“That’s not the point--”

 

“I don’t see the problem.” Dex’s dad sighs, pulling out the chair in the room and taking a seat. “I’m no expert on this, but if your mom told me she liked me, and I got mad ‘cause it wasn’t the right time, I’d be kinda an idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot. I--” Dex stops. “I’m an idiot.”

Dex’s dad nods warmly. “He didn’t say anything, and you didn’t say anything either. It’s no one’s fault.”

“So we’re both shitty at communication is what you’re saying?”   
  


“You can’t place the blame on one person in a relationship. There’s two people involved; you’re part of it, too.”

Dex takes a deep breath, trying not to look straight in his dad’s eyes. “Dad?”

“Yes, William.”

“I think I love him. What if I fucked it all up?”

 

“I think if he likes you as much as you said he likes you, you didn’t fuck it up.”

 

They all have dinner before Dex can even talk to Nursey, and he’s sitting in agony because unlike normally, they can’t hold hands or do anything gross and coupley because Dex is supposed to be mad at him. Except he’s not mad at him. Nursey just doesn’t know that, so they’re not even looking each other in the eye.

His parents are trying to talk about how Samwell’s doing in hockey this season, but Dex literally cannot be bothered because he wants nothing more than to make awkward, ostentatious declarations of love toward the person sitting across from him and then passionately make out in the rain like in the movies. He may or may not have gotten this inspiration from the shitty chick flicks that he and Nursey watched together.

As soon as Nursey starts getting up, Dex tries to stop him. “Derek, can we talk?”

 

Nursey flashes him a look of confusion, but he shrugs, and they head up to Dex’s room. Nursey’s sitting comfortably on the bed, and Dex is pacing back and forth, trying to calm his nerves because he’s literally never told anyone he’s in love with them, let alone that he thought they were cute.

 

“So I’m an idiot,” Dex starts. He thinks this is a good start because he’s admitting his faults and that's what you do in a relationship, right? But it’s literally just a shot in the dark here. He has absolutely no idea what he’s doing.

Nursey raises an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“A complete idiot. The dumbest person alive. I can’t believe how stupid I was. Also, I have anger issues, but you probably already knew that,” Dex is basically rambling at this point, but Nursey’s intently listening anyway.

“I wouldn’t say you’re the dumbest person alive.”

“Well, like thirty minutes ago I was. You know, when you said you liked me and all that.”

 

“I did, didn’t I?” Nursey’s got a cocky grin, probably knowing what Dex is about to say, which only makes Dex’s heart beat even faster.

 

“Well, yeah. And, like, normally when someone is confessing their undying love--”

Nursey gets up, getting as close to Dex as possible. “I wouldn’t call it undying.”

Dex ignores him. “--you’re supposed to respond in some way. Like, ‘Hey, I like you too,’ or ‘Actually, I’d rather we were just friends.’ But I just kinda threw a hissy fit because I thought you said it at the wrong time, so yeah, I’m an idiot.”

“I’d like to see where this is going sooner rather than later, Poindexter.”

He rolls his eyes. “Shut the fuck up, Nurse. I’m telling you my deepest, darkest feelings here.”

“Darkest?”

Dex groans. “I fucking like you, okay?” He shakes his head, like those words don’t even begin to explain it. “No, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you. Like I wanna kiss you all the time, and I like holding your hand, and literally nothing feels better than when we ‘make love,’ as you say--”

 

“No chirping in love confessions, man.”

 

“I’m gonna chirp you as much as I fucking want. I’m in love with you, and I’d really like if we didn’t keep dancing around the fact that I’d rather we weren’t just fucking. I’d prefer literally anything to just fucking, at this point. I--”

“You wanna be my boyfriend?” Nursey grins wider than Dex has ever seen, and Dex can’t help but do the same because they’re literally so in love with each other it’s ridiculous.

“I mean, if you’ll have me.” He’s trying to be considerate of Nursey’s feelings, but he doesn’t know how he’ll react if Nursey’s like, “Let’s just take it slow,” or some bullshit like that. He doesn’t want to just date; he wants Nursey to be his and only his, and he knows that’s selfish, but he doesn’t want anyone else kissing or touching or holding hands with Nursey.

“Yeah, I guess. It’s chill, or whatever.” Nursey shrugs, but he’s got that stupid cocky grin on his face, and ugh. Dex can’t deal.

“Whatever? Are you fucking serious?”

“Relax, man. I’ll be your boyfriend. Are we boyfriends now? Officially? Can I call you that? I’m never sure if--”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

 

Nursey tentatively steps closer to Dex and smiles into the kiss. It’s short, and it’s sweet, but it finally feels right. It finally feels like it’s where each of them belong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is not over but it's pretty close to being done it's probably gonna be a chapter or two more and then maybe an epilogue
> 
> I'm gonna stage manage my school's spring musical so I might have more difficulty updating but I think I can do next Saturday? It's probably gonna be updated on a weekend from now on
> 
> Thanks so much for reading :)


	10. Chapter 10

Easter seems to come and go faster than usual. Probably because Nursey and Dex have spent a majority of the Saturday making out, but Dex’s not gonna admit that to anyone.

 

Sunday is normal--they go to Church  _ again _ because Dex’s family is so Catholic it hurts. Nursey tries to not fall asleep. He really does.

 

As soon as they get back home from Mass, Dex and Nursey start packing up their things. They’re leaving at noon so they can get back to Samwell before there’s traffic and before it gets to be night.

Both of them are all saying their goodbyes, and Katie is absolutely distraught that Nursey’s leaving her.

“Mr. Derek, I don’t want you to leave!” Katie shouts.

“I’ll probably be back.” Nursey shrugs.

“But Grammy said Uncle Billy’s gonna start bringing a girlfriend. He can’t bring  _ two _ people.”

“Well, I’m Uncle Billy’s boyfriend, so he only needs to bring me.”

 

She furrows her brow inquisitively. “Boyfriend? Boys can have boyfriends?”

 

“Yeah, Katie, Derek’s my boyfriend, so he can come every year if he wants.”

“You bet I do.” Nursey smirks, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Ew! Kissing’s gross, Uncle Billy! What if you get Mr. Derek’s cooties?” She sticks out her tongue, shaking her head.

“I don’t--” Nursey looks at Dex, who’s glaring at him to really please do not make an innuendo right now, no matter how much Nursey doesn’t mind Dex’s cooties.

“We gotta go, Katie,” Dex says. Katie runs into his arms. 

“Bye Uncle Billy! I’ll miss you!”

“Bye Katie. I’ll miss you loads.” Dex smiles softly.

 

After Katie manages to be removed from Dex, they say their goodbyes and start putting their things in the trunk of Dex’s car. His dad gives him a curt nod of approval, and his mom can’t stop hugging him, and Connor’s chirping him to the ends of the earth, and Stacy’s trying to get Katie to calm down, and it’s all kinda hectic.

 

They both wave as they get in the car.

“I like your family,” Nursey states, as soon as they’re both buckled and ready to go.

“Yeah?” Dex raises an eyebrow. “When am I gonna meet yours?”

“Whenever they manage to not be busy. And they’re never not busy. I mean, my moms love me, but they’re always working. And my sister lives in Boston with her fiance.”

Dex hums. “Keep talking about your moms.”

“Why?”

“I like hearing you talk,” he says. “Plus, it’ll distract me from this six hour drive. And this way I don’t have to listen to your shitty indie music.”

 

“Fuck you, my music’s the height of artistry.” But it’s light and playful and Nursey’s laughing.

 

And so Nursey talks for about three hours, with little interjections from Dex here and there, until he keeps yawning and yawning and Dex tells him to “go the fuck to sleep.”

Dex doesn’t even notice that Nursey managed to pass out entirely until they arrive at Samwell. They’re parked in the godawful parking structure where Dex can usually never find a parking spot, and Dex turns off the ignition, only to see Nursey sleeping soundly in the passenger seat.

“Nursey,” Dex whispers softly. “Wake up. Babe, we made it. We’re at Samwell.”

Nursey stirs lightly. “Did you just call me babe?” he half-mumbles.

“Mmhm.” Dex just nods in response, too tired to argue at this point.

“Call me a pet name again, and I’ll consider getting up.”

“Baby, please,” Dex begs. “We can be a lot closer if you get up.”

 

Nursey doesn’t move. “Explain.”

 

“I’ll let you sleep over at my place.”

His head perks up almost immediately. “I guess if my boyfriend wants to cuddle, who am I to refuse?”

The word “boyfriend” sends Dex’s heart in a flutter. He still can’t believe they’re actually dating. Together. In a relationship. He gets out of the car, keys in hand, before he goes to the passenger side to help Nursey get off his lazy ass so they can go fucking cuddle.

They hold hands the entire way there, and Dex is literally so overjoyed, he would’ve skipped the whole way to his dorm if Nursey weren’t a sleepy zombie incapable of much more than a slow shuffle.

As soon as they get to the dorm, Dex’s roommate, just as usual, groans audibly and leaves. Dex still has no idea where he goes off to and at this point is afraid to ask.

 

They climb into bed, chest to chest with their arms wrapped gently around each other. Nursey’s nose is pressed against Dex’s neck, and he’s whispering softly in his ear.

 

“Bet he thinks we’re sexiling him again.” Nursey sleepily chuckles.

“Babe, he’d have to listen to us do coupley things until we fell asleep.”

Dex can feel Nursey wrinkle up his nose. “Gross.”

“Exactly.”

“Hey, Dex?” Dex hums in response, too sleepy to even open his mouth. “I love you.” 

It’s not really a question, like it normally is with Nursey. He’s used to having it be a question--it’s easier to accept rejection if you’re practically asking the other person if they love you back. This time, however, Nursey already knows. It’s a statement, and he just wants to hear Dex say it, too.

“I love you, too.”

 

Nursey’s lips curl up in a smile. “Okay.”

 

And with that, they both fall asleep, and Nursey's sure that he’s never had such a good night of sleep as when they’re cuddled up together under soft blankets while moonlight streams through the blinds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember how I said there'd be one or two more chapters in my last chapter notes? Well I have no self-control so I may or may not be lying it depends I kinda just say "fuck it here's a basic plot line 90% of these chapters are (completely necessary) filler chapters and we'll see how it goes from here"
> 
> So it's definitely almost done but I have absolutely no idea what or how long "almost done" is lol


	11. Chapter 11

Chowder’s the first one to find out.

 

He comes into the room--again, how the fuck do these people get in without a key?--and shouts “Holy shit!” before tripping on one of the suitcases on the floor. The noise forces Nursey awake, who nearly screams when he sees him.

 

“What the fuck?” Nursey’s trying to blink awake, but his voice is raspy, and he can’t stop yawning.

 

He doesn’t know how to pass this off as “Oh, we’re obviously just bros sharing a bed together,” but the fact that neither of them are wearing shirts and that Nursey has a serious case of morning wood is not helping the situation.

 

“You have a bruise? On your shoulder?” Chowder comments.

 

And apparently a hickey from Saturday. Just his luck.

 

“We--uh--I--” He can’t stop sputtering, so he hits Dex as hard as he can on the shoulder without seriously injuring him. Maybe if they’re both stuttering idiots, they won’t even have to tell him--Chowder will just put two and two together.

 

“Nursey, what the  _ fuck _ ?” Dex hisses. “You know, I’m no expert, but I’m pretty you’re not supposed to hit your boyfriend awake.”

Chowder gasps. He’s clearly trying to be silently surprised, but his expression is giving him away too much--raised eyebrows and gaping mouths can literally only mean one thing.

“Babe, Chowder’s here.”

 

“He already knows?”

 

“Yes,” Chowder answers for Nursey.

Dex groans and gets up to face him. “Listen, you’re not telling anyone, right?”

Chowder puts his hands up in surrender. “No, no, I swear! I didn’t tell anyone about Jack and Bitty, so I won’t tell anyone about you two!”

“Alright. Why’re you here?” Dex asks, sitting up. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company,” he adds quickly.

“Practice. Duh. Didn’t Holster send out a text?”

“Shit, yeah. Hold on. Give us a sec.” Nursey bites his lip, throwing on his workout clothes quickly, while Dex scrambles out of bed to do the same.

Chowder sighs. “You’re gonna make me late. If Coach has us doing suicides--”

“He won’t, chill.”

Except that didn’t come out of Nursey’s mouth. Chowder almost laughs out loud because William J. Poindexter just said the words “chill,” and he’s trying really hard to suppress the smirk on his face.

“Chill?” Nursey laughs. “Babe, you’re picking up my mannerisms.”

 

“Fuck off, don’t chirp me. Let’s just get to practice before Coach skins us alive--”

 

Nursey grabs Dex’s wrists. “Give me a kiss before we go.”

Dex rolls his eyes, but happily obliges by giving him a quick peck on the lips. “I can’t believe I agreed to dating you.”

“I believe you were the one who asked me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dex shakes his head and takes Nursey’s hand as all three of them walk out of the dorm room.

 

Chowder’s next to him, and to his great relief, he’s not entirely being third-wheeled, with the exception of the fact that he’s not holding hands with anyone.

 

“Yo, Chowder, did you and Farms do something for spring break?”

Chowder nods, grinning excitedly. “Yeah, we went to Disneyland for a couple days, and I showed her all the cool stuff in the area! And then we went back up to my parent’s house, and we had dinner and stuff! It was a lot of fun!”

“Dude, how was Disneyland? I heard they had  _ Star Wars _ stuff--”

Dex’s eyes widen. “They have  _ Star Wars _ stuff?”

“Yeah, they updated Star Tours, so it has a bunch more stuff! It was soooooo cool,” Chowder says, shaking his fists in glee. “And Farms scream so hard on Tower of Terror--it was so funny!”

“Did she hold your hand?” Nursey wriggles his eyebrows.

Chowder’s cheeks tint a bright pink color. “Yeah, on the last long drop.”

“Awww, Chowder, that’s so cute!”

“Look, who’s talking, Nursey.” He gestures to them holding hands as they walk toward Faber.

 

“Well, yeah, he’s my boyfriend.” Again, the word makes Dex grin and bite his lip to keep from smiling too much. He’s got such a goofy grin on his face, and it’s all from Nursey saying one little word.

 

“Well, she’s my girlfriend.”

“Impeccable reasoning, Chow. Let’s not make fun of the Straights, Nursey. They have too much to deal with already,” Dex says nonchalantly.

“Dex!” Nursey shrieks, hitting Dex on the shoulder and laughing so hard he can probably be heard from across the campus.

 

They eventually reach Faber, so Nursey and Dex unlink hands, and they all head in. Practice was pretty normal. Dex is pretty out of shape; he’s surprised how much a week has made him forgotten how to play hockey. But he does alright all things considered.

 

He and Nursey immediately connect on the ice--not that they didn’t before--but somehow, it’s easier to know what your partner’s doing when you’re partners on the ice and in real life.

Nursey comments this, and Dex rolls his eyes because that is literally the dumbest thing Nursey’s ever said in his entire life.

“You’re an idiot, you know that, right?” Dex asks.

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot, babe.” Nursey’s got a toothy grin, and Dex can’t help but grin in return.

Their moment is interrupted because “FOOIIINEEE!” can be heard all the way across the rink. They both turn their heads to see Ransom and Holster skating toward them.

“Is that a fine I hear?” Ransom shouts.

“Yes, I believe it is!” Holster replies with equal volume.

 

As soon as the two of them reach Dex and Nursey, Ransom wraps his arm around Nursey. “Nursey, my dear boy, I believe you just used a pet name.”

 

“Did I?” Nursey laughs uncomfortably. They never really discussed who they’d be telling about their relationship, but in all honesty, Dex really doesn’t mind. He half-wants to step in and save Nursey, but he kinda likes seeing him flounder around.

“Yes, you did. You know what that means, correct?”

“But I’m not--I don’t have a girlfriend--I don’t--”

“First of all, that’s not an excuse. We still fine Bitty and Jack. In fact, Dex himself fines Bitty and Jack,” Holster starts. “Second of all, we  _ heard _ you. You called Dex ‘babe.’ Everyone could hear it.”

“You think we should double-fine him since he used it on a teammate, bro?” Ransom asks.

 

Holster grins mischievously. “Yes, I believe we should.”

 

“Ugh, fine, whatever. I got money in my hockey bag. I’ll put it in the fine jug after practice.”

“Thank you for being so cooperative, #28.” Ransom pats him on the back and skates off with Holster to continue practice.

Nursey’s already on the apology, with his hands reaching for Dex’s to comfort him. “Fuck, Dex, I’m sorry I--”

“I don’t care. Really,” Dex interrupts. His face softens as he grabs Nursey’s hand. “C’mon. Let’s finish practice.”

As soon as practice is done, everyone runs across campus and piled into the Haus. It’s a little cramped, but it’s nice. Everyone’s talking about their spring break, and Bitty is just pulling a pie out of the oven.

About an hour after practice, a knock comes to the door. Dex opens it to none other than Jack Zimmermann, who’s wearing sweats and a Samwell shirt. “Bitty, our other dad is here!” he calls.

 

Bitty walks to the front of the house with an apron tied around his waist. “What the hell are you talkin’ about--oh, Jack!”

 

Bitty’s face lights up as he rushes up to him and nearly tackles him in a hug. In return, Jack picks him up and spins them around. As soon as he puts Bitty down, he plants a kiss on his cheek.

“Hey, Bits.” Jack’s smiling contently. He’s got the dopiest expression on his face whenever he looks at Bitty, and Dex wonders if he looks like that when he looks at Nursey. Probably.

“Is that a Jack Zimmermann I hear?” Ransom calls out, walking up to Jack and giving him a much more platonic version of the hug Bitty gave Jack. “Bro, you didn’t say you were visiting.”

 

“Yeah, I thought it’d be a surprise.” He shrugs, smirking at Bitty. “‘Sides, I missed spring break while I was on a roadie. I missed you.”

 

“Honey, I missed you, too.” Bitty grabs his hand and starts leading him to the kitchen. “C’mon, I was just finishin’ makin’ a pie.”

“My dietitian's not gonna be happy.”

“Oh, who cares. She knows how good my pies are.”

“Yes, and I do, too.”

They’re all giggly and giddy as they’re walking into the kitchen. Just as they’re leaving, Nursey’s walking up to Dex and Ransom. “Bro, you fined me, but not them?”

Ransom shrugs. “Jack put down a deposit.”

“For the whole year?”

Ransom nods, continuing to drink whatever was in his red solo cup.

“Whatever. Dex, you said you gotta finish an assignment for your compsci class. Let’s go?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They put on all their jackets and shoes and head toward the dorms. They’re holding hands, and Nursey’s making them stop every time they see an animal because  _ Dex, holy shit, it’s a fucking chipmunk _ \--

Dex takes a deep breath and breathes out. He can see his breath in the air, turning white before dissipating into the atmosphere. It’s not cold, but it’s also not that warm either, but it’s still nice.

As they’re walking together, with Nursey looking like Dex put the stars in the sky, Dex can’t help but think that this is exactly what’s been missing his whole life.

He stops, and Nursey turns around, facing him. Dex grabs his hands, looking down.

“Hey, Nursey?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

As soon as Dex looks back dup, Nursey’s got his eyes pinned on Dex’s. “I love you,” Dex says.

His eyes widen, like he’s still not used to hearing those words. “I-I love you, too.”

Dex smiles and ruffles Nursey’s hair. “C’mon, let’s go to the dorms.”

 

And Dex honestly can’t think of a time where he’s been happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terribly sorry about the delay I had finals this week but I'm finally done!! also!! I got into college!!!!! so I was very distracted by that!!!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading until the end I seriously appreciate all the nice comments they literally make my day.
> 
> This is probably it for this fic but I'll definitely write more bc nurseydex is literally my weakness ;) (omg their shoulders were touching!!! in the update!!!! i'm so desperate!!!!)

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on this being multi-part but I'm taking 3 AP classes (bc I obviously hate myself) so I'm gonna update whenever I can
> 
> Title comes from "Closer" by Halsey and the Chainsmokers, which is exactly what I was listening to when I came up with the idea for the plot


End file.
